First, which role is yours
When you register in TRACES you choose the role you act in, and the interface offers three. Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 changed several definitions of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, so read them in their current wording:
- Operator: whoever places the products on the EU market or exports them (Art. 2(15)). The typical case is the importer. Since the reform, the definition excludes downstream operators. The operator submits the DDS and keeps a record of it for 5 years (Art. 4(3)).
- Trader: any person in the supply chain other than the operator or downstream operator who makes the products available on the market (Art. 2(17)).
- Authorised representative: a person established in the EU who has received a written mandate from an operator to act on its behalf (Art. 2(22)). This is the role of freight forwarders and customs agents who submit DDSs for their clients.
If you buy a product that already has a DDS from an EU importer and process or resell it, you may be a downstream operator (Art. 2(15b): whoever places on the market or exports relevant products made using relevant products, all of which are covered by a DDS or by a simplified declaration) or a trader. We explain it in what is the EUDR.
If you are a trader or a downstream operator
You may not have to submit a DDS of your own; check it against the text of the regulation and, if in doubt, with your adviser. What Article 5 does require from downstream operators and traders is to hold this information before placing or making available on the market or exporting (Art. 5(1)), and to collect it and keep it for at least 5 years (Art. 5(3) and 5(4)):
- About whoever supplies you: name or trade mark, postal address, email and, if available, website; and, only if your supplier is an operator, the reference numbers of its DDSs or the declaration identifiers.
- About whoever you supply: name or trade mark, postal address, email and, if available, website.
The operator has to pass those reference numbers on to you (Art. 4(7)). Downstream operators and traders that are not SMEs also have to register in the information system before placing or making available on the market or exporting (Art. 5(2)). Registering needs EU Login too; web-service access is only needed if you will submit declarations from software.
The steps to submit from software
They are the same for operators and representatives, and are done once per company:
- An EU Login account, the Commission identification system, with two-step verification switched on.
- The company registered as operator or trader in the EUDR information system in TRACES NT, in production. The request is validated and that can take days: start now, even if your first shipment is not yet due.
- In your TRACES user profile, request "Web Services Access". Once approved you get a web-service username and an authentication key (Authentication Key).
- Enter that username and key in Sourevo, on each operator, and test the connection before the first DDS.
TRACES also has a test environment (ACCEPTANCE) with its own accounts and keys. Real declarations need the production ones.
If you are an authorised representative
On top of the steps above, you need a written mandate from each client. Article 6 lets the operator mandate an authorised representative to submit the DDS on its behalf, and the operator keeps responsibility for the compliance of the product (Art. 6(1)). If the authority asks, you must provide a copy of the mandate (Art. 6(2)).
In every DDS you submit as a representative, TRACES requires you to identify the operator you represent. Keep its details at hand: legal name, country, address and, when the activity is import or export, its EORI.
A special case: an operator that is a natural person or a microenterprise may mandate the next downstream operator or trader in the chain that is not a natural person or a microenterprise (Art. 6(3)). What to put in the mandate is in the guide for freight forwarders and customs agents.
How Sourevo uses your credentials
The DDS is submitted in TRACES in your name, with your own web-service credentials. Sourevo prepares it with your suppliers and plots, runs the pre-submission check, sends it and keeps the reference and verification numbers TRACES returns.
The authentication key is stored encrypted (AES-256-GCM) and is never shown again. You can replace it in Sourevo at any time and revoke it from TRACES.
During the trial Sourevo works in simulated mode: declarations do not reach TRACES and the numbers carry a SIM prefix. That way you can practise the whole process while TRACES validates your access.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does validation take?
- There is no published time frame. It can take several days, so request the registration and web-service access before you need them. In the meantime you can set up suppliers, plots and drafts in Sourevo.
- Do I need an EORI number?
- If the declared activity is import or export, TRACES asks for it in the DDS. If you represent another operator, what counts is that operator's EORI, not yours.
- Can a forwarder use its credentials for several clients?
- As an authorised representative you submit with your own account and identify the represented operator in each DDS, with a mandate from each client. In Sourevo you add each client as an operator. How TRACES sets this up for several clients is something its helpdesk confirms.
- What if I am only a trader?
- You may not have to submit a DDS of your own; check it. What you do have to do is keep the details of suppliers and customers and the reference numbers you receive (Art. 5(3)) and, if you are not an SME, register in the information system (Art. 5(2)).